Casa D'Amore: Alberobello's First Mortared House

Located on Piazza Re Ferdinando IV di Borbone, Casa D'Amore represents a pivotal milestone in the architectural and political evolution of Alberobello. Built in 1797 by Francesco D’Amore, the two-story limestone home stands out as the very first building in the settlement officially constructed using mortar, lime, and terracotta rather than traditional dry-stone masonry.

Positioned between the older dry-stone trulli quarters of Rione Monti and Rione Aia Piccola and the later 19th-century civic core surrounding Piazza del Popolo, the house marks the physical transition from a feudal enclave into an emancipated town.

The Fall of the Feudal Building Ban

For generations, the Counts of Conversano from the Acquaviva d'Aragona family forbade the use of binding mortar across their domain. This mandate forced peasants to build exclusively with dry-stone techniques, giving rise to Alberobello's iconic conical trulli. The dry-stone method served a strategic financial purpose for the feudal lords: whenever royal tax inspectors from the Kingdom of Naples approached, the mortarless buildings could be rapidly dismantled to evade settlements taxes and then quickly rebuilt.

This feudal oppression ended on May 27, 1797, when King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon issued a royal decree officially recognizing Alberobello as a free royal town (città regia). The decree dissolved feudal vassalage and lifted the long-standing prohibition on mortar.

On June 22, 1797, while the town gathered to elect its first mayor, Francesco D'Amore began laying mortared stone for his new residence. The act was a bold public declaration of newfound civic liberty. D'Amore deliberately oriented the house directly toward the administrative residence of the former feudal overseers, ensuring that the agents could directly witness the permanent violation of the old feudal order.

Architecture and the Royal Inscription

Casa D'Amore is an architectural hybrid combining classical town-house styling with local craft traditions. The structure features a two-story limestone facade, an external staircase, and a projecting stone balcony. Instead of a standard conical ceiling, the ground-floor entrance hall is crowned with an elegant star vault (volta a stella).

Despite these advancements, local building methods remained deeply ingrained. Traditional stone-builders known as caseddari, who lacked formal architectural training, incorporated interior conical elements into the layout while adapting their skills to mortar. The mortar itself was crafted locally by mixing lime with vuolo, a distinctive regional red soil.

Carved directly beneath the arch of the upper balcony is a prominent Latin epigraph commemorating the historic moment:

"EX AUCTORITATE REGIA - HOC PRIMUM ERECTUM - A.D. 1797" (Erected first by royal authority - A.D. 1797)

Civic Role and Modern Museum Network

Shortly after its completion, the building served as Alberobello's first municipal seat (primo municipio). Its historical and structural significance led to its designation as an Italian National Monument in 1930, and it was later included in Alberobello's UNESCO World Heritage listing in 1996.

Despite the name "Casa D'Amore" translating literally to "House of Love"—often sparking romantic legends among travelers—the property derives its name entirely from Francesco D'Amore. Today, the monument forms part of the municipal museum network (Polo Museale di Alberobello). It operates as a municipal tourist information office and an exhibition venue for temporary art and historical displays.